Murdered Mayo exile is laid to rest

PRAYERS were recited at weekend Masses in the Diocese of Achonry at the weekend for an 81-year old Irish exile who was brutally stabbed to death in Vermont, U.S.A. earlier this month.

Helen Jones (neé Kelly), who emigrated from the village of Cloontia, Carracastle, in the 1950s, was laid to rest in Vermont on Saturday.

Mrs. Jones, a devout Catholic. was found dead by a neighbour with stab wounds on January 4.

Police believe the mother of three was the victim of a drug related intruder who broke in to steal her medication.

No arrests have been made and the attacker is still at large.

Mrs. Jones, who was predeceased by her husband, Stephen, in 1971, has a large circle of relatives in the Cloontia area.

These include her brother, John Kelly and sisters, Mae Brennan, Nan Hallinan and Kathleen Ruane.

In her obituary, Mrs Kelly Jones' family described her as a 'devout Catholic' who volunteered and loved the ocean.

'For years she volunteered her time taking care of the elderly. Helen loved gardening, walking along the beach and listening to the sound of the ocean. She was a New England Patriot football fan, loved taking care of her home and cherished times spent with her family.'

Arrangements are being made for a memorial Mass in her native county at a later date.